


A Promise Kept

by Palizinha



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Gen, KH3 Speculation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-06
Updated: 2016-08-06
Packaged: 2018-07-29 15:13:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7689490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Palizinha/pseuds/Palizinha
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inside of Kairi's heart, Sora finally gets to say all the things he meant to tell Naminé.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Promise Kept

Sora had wanted to master the power to awaken sleeping hearts more than the title of Master. The former meant he could save those who once helped shape his life into what it became. Being a Master was just a title he didn't need.

They had the Key to Return Hearts and with Ven's, Roxas' and Xion's hearts already awake, there was only one person left to wake. Naminé. As soon as he did so, they could use the Key to separate her from Kari - and the others from himself.

The other three had been easy enough - they were inside him, after all - but reaching into Kairi's heart to through it get to Naminé was harder. But he was ready to do it.

Kairi nodded encouragingly at him and Sora smiled back at her, readying his Keyblade. Light left it, and when Sora opened his eyes again, he was standing in a Station. Kairi was in it, Destiny's Embrace in her hand, the faces of Sora, Riku, Naminé and Kairi's adopted mother close to her. With a smile at Kairi's image, Sora called his Keyblade again, but Kairi's appeared in his hand instead.

He dove deeper, finding himself next in Radiant Garden, but in its former glory as opposed to the place now being reconstructed. Kairi's heart, her homeworld in the center of it just like Destiny Islands was for him.

The place was empty, however, and Sora wondered why. Shouldn't Naminé be around? After walking for a while, he came to a stop in front of the castle that once belonged to Ansem the Wise. Memories of a young Kairi, Aqua and Mickey flashed through his head.

"I believe the spell Aqua placed on Kairi here is why she was able to get to Destiny Islands, guided by your light," Naminé's voice came lightly from behind him and Sora turned to her, a 'thank you' already on his lips.

He reached to touch her, but as he did so, light filled both of them, and suddenly, Radiant Garden faded away. Sora found himself falling down into the darkness left, Naminé's hand as his only connection to anything.

Flashes of Naminé's memories - words from Marluxia, Larxene and DiZ heaving them down, Sora himself and Roxas and Kairi lifting them up. But the bad memories filled the space the most, so much of Naminé's short life spent in captivity.

That was different, no such thing had happened with the other three, and the pain Naminé had felt was starting to feel like Sora's own, but in a way that hurt him, not like with Roxas and Xion.

"Naminé," Sora forced out, managing to look at her in the eyes. The pain he felt was reflected in them. "I... have a message for you."

It wasn't all he wanted to say - he had promised they'd be friends for real - but he needed to thank her at least. He had been meaning to for too long.

"Thank you, Naminé!" Sora grinned at her despite the pain, and Naminé managed to smile back, even if weakly.

Sora wondered if there was a way to leave the darkness, and that's when he saw her. Kairi. The place she was standing was filled with light, solid and real when everything else around them was empty.

Sora reached for Kairi's hand, and she managed to grab it. Sora kept holding on to Naminé as Kairi struggled to lift them up. When Sora got his feet on the light, he helped Naminé the rest of the way.

"I felt pain, it made me realize you needed my helped, so I reached for the two of you," as Kairi talked, the Station they were in stopped shining, the image of Naminé being left behind.

"Thank you, Kairi!" Sora hugged Kairi with his free hand. Yen Sid had refused to let Kairi be part of the process because she wasn't a Master, but Sora had known she could help. Turns out he couldn't have done it without her.

"What's happening?" Naminé finally asked, confusion in her voice.

"Naminé," Kairi whispered before Sora could say anything. That had to be between the two of them, the kind of moment he got with Roxas when he was sleeping. "I hope you know, that if I had had any choice then, I'd have let you stay your own person."

Naminé's eyes widened, and Sora guessed she realized now, just what was happening. "Kairi, Nobodies... we were never meant to exist. I was alright with fading into you, because I thought... it was the way to become whole, right? Everyone kept saying so."

"Maybe you weren't meant to exist. Doesn't mean you didn't, or that you don't. If you want to, we have the means to make you a separate person now, it's why Sora came here."

Naminé looked floored, and Sora smiled at her, putting his hands behind his head. She smiled back at Sora before looking back at Kairi, her eyes determined as she nodded.

Kairi faded, leaving her own heart, and Sora prepared to do the same, but he still had one last message to give.

"Naminé, you do know, right?" Sora asked. "The two of us, we're friends. For real, with no lies."

Naminé realized what those words meant - that he remembered Castle Oblivion - and a tear left her eye. Sora reached for her face to wipe it away and flashed one last grin before returning as well.

**Author's Note:**

> Do I have any idea why Sora needed the power to awaken sleeping hearts? Do I know what the Key to Return Hearts is? Do I particularly care this doesn't make sense? No, to all the above.
> 
> #letsorathanknaminé2k17


End file.
